October 19, 2007

Test Drive: 2008 Jeep Patriot North

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

Review and photos by Greg Wilson

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With a Freight charge of $1,200 and A/C tax of $100, the as-tested price of my Patriot North 4X4 test vehicle came to $24,520. Note the Freight charge has been raised from $1,100 to $1,200.

Interior impressions

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

The Patriot's rather boxy, but attractive design has obvious similarities with the old Cherokee and the new Commander. These tall, boxy designs generally offer generous passenger and cargo room, and the Patriot is no exception. Front and rear passengers have abundant head room and generous legroom. The front seats are raised allowing plenty of footroom under them for the rear passengers, and the footwells are deep. I particularly liked the sturdy rubber floor mats which can be removed and washed with a hose.

All seats have a high hip point, and the driver and passengers sit "tall in the saddle" with good visibility to the outside. The front bucket seats are comfortable and the driver has a manual height adjuster, but the seats lack some side support. The rear seatbacks are stiff, but they do recline for more comfort. There is no rear centre armrest, and only two fixed head restraints.

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

For 2008, Chrysler's stain-resistant YES Essentials seat fabric is standard on the Patriot North. Though not as soft and fuzzy as other fabrics, it prevents most stains from spoiling the look of the interior, and that's worth a lot if you have kids or pets.

The instrument panel is refreshingly simple and easy to use. The white-on-black round instruments, backlit in white when the headlights are turned on, are clearly visible through the steering wheel - though they're a tad small; the centre stack controls for the radio and heater are simple to use and easy to see. The optional nine-speaker stereo with two drop-down speakers in the rear hatch is well worth the extra $395. It offers big bass sounds from the subwoofer in the trunk and amazing clarity from the other six speakers. The two drop-down rear speakers in the tailgate are great for camping or picnics when a little entertainment is required.

The big manual shift lever knob is positioned high up on the centre console for easy reach, and it didn't seem to get in the way of the other controls during my week with the Patriot.

Cabin storage includes an open bin on the passenger side of the dash for cans or umbrellas or what-have-you; a slot in the centre dash for CDs; door pockets; and lower down in the centre console a bevy of small bins and two cupholders. Between the front seats is an armrest with a deep storage bin, and a flip-up holder for i-Pods or cell phones. There's an auxiliary outlet for music players in the radio, a 12-volt power outlet just under the shift lever, and an (optional) two-prong 115-volt power outlet located on the front of the centre armrest (note that it won't take three-prong plugs).

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

The 60/40 split rear seatbacks both fold flat by simply pulling a strap and pulling them down, and have a sturdy black cloth backing so they won't get dirty. As well, the right front passenger seat in the North will fold flat, increasing load length substantially. The rear cargo floor is a durable black plastic but the side walls are made of a softer plastic which could scratch easily. With the rear seats up, there is a generous 652 litres (23.0 cu. ft.) of cargo space, and with the rear seats folded, cargo space doubles to 1535 litres (54.2 cu. ft.).

Unfortunately, a cargo privacy cover is optional rather than standard, part of the Cargo and Convenience package which includes a lot of other things that you may not really want.

The rear hatch has a hidden door handle and grip which makes it easy to lift up and the cargo opening is wide and tall with a low lift-over height. However, the rear hatch door doesn't include a rear window that opens separately.

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

A couple of other concerns I had about the interior: dual front and curtain airbags are standard on the Patriot, but front seat-mounted side airbags are optional. As they're just as important as curtain airbags, they should be standard.

And the rather shiny appearance of the dash plastics just looks a bit cheap when compared to many compact vehicles. Still, as Jeeps are more utilitarian in nature, the Patriot can almost get away with this.

All in all, I found the Patriot's interior to be an excellent combination of passenger and cargo carrying capability - particularly for a compact vehicle.

Driving impressions

With its car-like unit body construction and independent suspension, the Patriot rides and handles like a small station wagon rather than a utility vehicle. The highway ride is very comfortable, disturbed only by some wind noise from the upright front windshield and some minor engine noise at higher speeds.

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

Around town, the Patriot manoeuvres in and out of traffic quite well because of the easy steering, great visibility and tight turning circle. The Patriot's flat hood allows the driver to see the corners of the vehicle for easier parking, and visibility over the shoulder for lane-changing and through the rear window is unobstructed, even though the two rear head restraints are fixed.

The manual transmission lever is easy to reach and while shift action is a bit loose, it's easy to find the right gear. Clutch effort is light.

Handling is generally neutral, though the Patriot's relatively high minimum ground clearance of eight inches (nine inches with Trail Rating) and tall body style contributes to more lean when cornering than you would experience in a standard station wagon.

The 172-hp DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine is fine around town, but struggles a bit when pulling out to pass slower cars on the freeway. With a full load of people and cargo on board, drivers will need to judge their passing distances carefully. The engine offers variable valve timing, but with 165 lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm, it's doesn't have a lot of low-end pull, and has a maximum towing capacity of only 454 kg (1000 lbs). Apparently there is a tow package that will raise this to 2000 lbs, but I would be leery of this.

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

On the highway, the 2.4-litre engine is reasonably quiet while cruising and does about 2600 rpm at 100 km/h. Fuel economy is rated at 9.0 L/100 km (31 mpg Imp) City and 7.2 L/100 km (39 mpg Imp) Highway, but with this engine struggling under a full load, I would expect fuel economy to be at least 20% worse.

The all-wheel drive system is virtually undetectable in normal driving. It operates the front wheels most of the time, but apportions up to 60% of the torque to the rear wheels to improve traction when needed. This system is most useful in the winter for extra traction on ice or snow covered roads. The Patriot also includes standard anti-lock brakes (front disc/rear drum), traction control and electronic stability control to help prevent spinouts.

To test the 4WD Lock system, I found a deserted gravel parking lot and tried driving with the Lock engaged and disengaged. On takeoff, the 4WD Lock almost eliminates initial front wheelspin, and provides instant grip at all four wheels. I experienced no "wind-up" when making tight turns, and found climbing steep slippery slopes less dramatic. It's important to keep in mind that 4WD Lock is a low-speed feature designed for situations such as getting out of a snow-filled driveway or a mud bog, and will deactivate at higher speeds.

2008 Jeep Patriot. Click image to enlarge

For serious off-road adventures, the optional Freedom Drive II 4X4 system with a CVT crawl ratio is the way to go. It includes Hill Descent Control for slowing down steep descents and skid plates for underbody protection. This is a $1,700 option.

Verdict

Practical, comfortable and well-priced but slightly underpowered, the Jeep Patriot is the equivalent of a small, but tall station wagon.

Pricing: 2008 Jeep Patriot North

• Base price FWD: $19,595
• Base price AWD: $21,595
• Options: $1,625 (Fog lamps $115; Premium Steering Wheel Group $380: wheel mounted audio controls, leather wrapped steering wheel; cruise control; Tire and Wheel Group $695: P215/65R17 OWL all-terrain tires, 17X6.5 in. alloy wheels; Boston Acoustics Sound Group $395; six speakers plus subwoofer, two drop-down tailgate speakers; floor mats $40)
• Freight: $1,200
• A/C tax: $100
• Price as tested: $24,520 Click here for options, dealer invoice prices and factory incentives

Specifications

• Click here for complete specifications

Competitors

• Ford Escape 2008
• Hyundai Tucson 2008
• Kia Sportage 2008
• Inside Story: 2007 Jeep Patriot

Related articles on CanadianDriver

• First Drive: 2007 Jeep Patriot
• Inside Story: 2007 Jeep Patriot

Crash test results

• www.safercar.gov, www.hwysafety.org

Manufacturer's web site

• Jeep Canada

Greg Wilson is a Vancouver-based automotive journalist and editor of CanadianDriver